UNDP/UNESCO 2018 IATI Research Challenge for Journalists

UNDP and UNESCO are jointly launching the “IATI Research Challenge for Journalists” – a research and writing competition for journalists around the world aged between 15 and 25. Christophe Deloire, Secretary General of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has kindly agreed to be the patron of the competition.

The competition opens on the International Day for the Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) as one of a range of activities marking 10 years since the launch of the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI).

Investigate how a country of your choice is progressing towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals and explore how funds for development are being utilised, using IATI data for your research and analysis to answer the following question:

‘How are aid and other external resources being used to achieve sustainable development’ – based on data published to the International Aid Transparency Initiative.

Use the IATI search platform d-portal to investigate which sectors and regions are benefiting from development or humanitarian funding in a specific country and how this relates to national action plans and public narratives. Develop your story from IATI data, use additional sources to cross-check, find further information and use your journalistic skills to draft an essay that will impress the judges.

Prizes

Prizes for the winners in each category include laptops or tablets, as well as the publication of the winning essay(s) on the IATI and UNESCO websites.

Entry categories

The categories* for essay submission are:

Journalists age group 15 – 20

Journalists age group 20 – 25

Journalists from Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan, New Zealand and the US

Journalists from Africa

Journalists from Asia

Journalists from Latin America and the Caribbean

*Based on the number of submissions, the categories might be adapted to allow for a fair competition. A global winner will also be chosen from all categories by the judges.

Entry submission

Competitors are requested to submit 700 – 1000 words in an article relating to the progress of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) implementation in a certain country or region – based on IATI data and data obtained using the country’s national Access to Information laws .

Check out our guidelines for detailed instructions on eligibility, submission and rating criteria of the IATI Research Challenge for Journalists on UNESCO’s website. Submit your essay to: iati-challenge@undp.org by the deadline of Thursday 20 December 2018.